Article by Jan Green

Fall, it’s officially here, but summery days are holding on as they so often do. Fortunately the nights are a bit more comfortable and fall like. Most of the vegetables seem happy with the cooler evenings which then lead to cooler mornings which lead to happier volunteers and gardeners. But the okra does not agree with the rest of the produce on this cooldown and is showing its displeasure by putting the brakes slightly on production. Aphids, a common garden pest, have recently joined our other enemies (vine borers , squash bugs, and cucumber beetles) which we are working to keep under control. It’s not a perfect world, but for the most part, life at Brownwood Community Garden is going well.

Not a lot of changes in what we’re growing here this month. We still have summer veggies trying to hold on while fighting off one pest or another. Some are succeeding, but a few have or are about to give up the fight. Peppers are quite happy for now. They always seem to perk up a bit in the fall as the temperatures cool. Both the bells and jalapeños are looking good, but for some reason, the poblanos just don’t want to join the group and get big like they typically do when the weather cools down. Sometimes plants are just so hard to figure out. One year a certain plant is a champion. The next year it bombs. Very perplexing.

A few tomatoes are still ripening (very few), and we’re doing everything we can to get them to put on new blossoms and tomatoes for a substantial fall harvest- removing brown foliage and applying soil drenches every other week (worm tea, horticultural molasses, neem oil, etc.) to keep the plants strong until cold temperatures take them out.

As was mentioned earlier, the okra is refusing to grow at the same rate as it was before. It likes both the days and nights to be uncomfortably warm, sweat dripping off your brow by sunrise type of warm. We still have lots of blossoms for now, but the okra is slower to ripen..

The luffa is actually our surprisingly abundant producer at this point. We harvest three times per week and have harvested up to 20 of these immature, edible vegetables in a single day, and that’s from just two plants. Those that we happen to overlook before they became fibrous will be allowed to grow to maturity. We really don’t have much choice as they are too fibrous to eat. At this stage, they will be peeled and given out to be used as sponges. So far our worst garden enemies (vine borers, squash bugs, and cucumber beetles) have not attacked the luffa plant like our other vining plants. We hope and pray they don’t suddenly develop a taste for this plant. We’d like to be able to say we finally outsmarted a few of our worst garden pests by growing something they won’t destroy. So far, so good.

Our last round of summer squash is producing although somewhat slowly. This fall we decided to cover the plants with row covers and then hand pollinate, again in an effort to outsmart the vine borers. So far the plants are doing ok, but on occasion we still see a pest or two under the row cover or waiting on the outside-waiting for us to uncover the plants to harvest or hand pollinate so they can dash in to do their damage. They are so skilled at finding a way to get under the row cover. They have mastered the art of getting to the plants we are trying so desperately to keep them away from. How can a bug with such a little brain be so clever?

The fall cucumbers are just beginning to bloom, and here again we could be fighting what seems like a losing battle at times. Hopefully this won’t be one of those times. What we suspect to be infected cucumber beetles can (and often do) pass bacterial wilt on to the plants, killing them in just a matter of days. It seems as if we get just a few cucumbers before we start noticing the gradual wilting of the vine. Once infected there is no cure, and the plant eventually dies. Aphids have also made an appearance lately as they did this time last year. We have to stay on guard and deal quickly with them as they multiply incredibly fast. We’re still hoping to win THIS battle and get enough cucumbers to Salvation Army for them to make some of their tomato/cucumber salad before gardening comes to an end for us this year.

For those who believe all you have to do is put a seed in the ground, cover it with soil, and walk away to have a productive garden, well that person has never actually been a gardener. It’s a lot of work both above and below the soil. Over three tons of fresh produce have gone out into the community from this small piece of land, but it took the help of many people working together to make it happen. Given some of the working conditions (blazing summer heat and frigid winter temperatures), I believe that’s what is called a “ labor of love” coming from the people involved with this garden to those in this community that could use a little help.